Hurricane Francine

Hurricane Francine was a moderately strong tropical cyclone that brought extensive flooding to parts of the Gulf Coast of Mexico, especially Louisiana in September 2024. The sixth named storm and fourth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, its formation brought the end to a significant quiet period in tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic. Originating from a tropical wave that was initially spotted in the central Atlantic by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in late August, the disturbance that eventually became Francine began gradually organizing on September 7 as it exited the Yucatán Peninsula into the Bay of Campeche. The disturbance consolidated further and was designated by the NHC as Potential Tropical Cyclone Six on September 8. The next day, it became Tropical Storm Francine. It made landfall in Louisiana on September 11 as a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds of 105 mph (169 km/h), which left moderate damage in Louisiana and Mississippi. Afterward, it quickly weakened into a tropical storm on September 12, then a tropical depression the following day. Francine dissipated on September 14.

Heavy precipitation fell in northeastern Mexico, causing flooding in Matamoros area neighborhoods. Oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico was also disrupted. Approximately 500,000 people lost electricity in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama combined, with Francine downing numerous power lines and trees in those three states, blocking many roads. In Louisiana, flooding, high winds, and falling trees damaged hundreds of structures in Jefferson and St. Charles parishes. Precipitation from the cyclone peaked at 14.61 in (371 mm) near Navarre, Florida. The National Centers for Environmental Information estimated that Francine caused about $1.3 billion in damage.